Listverse
Listverse is a website dedicated to lists of trivia from a variety of categories - the most popular of which are lists of misconceptions and human oddities. While it is primarily a "top 10" site, it also features lists of varied numbers of items. The site's founder and editor, Jamie Frater, provides the majority of the content, but user submitted lists are also often published. History Listverse was launched in 2007 on a shared hosting platform. After a series of front page articles on social networking sites Digg and Reddit, it rapidly went from obscurity to receiving nearly 5 million visits each month. Technology Until 2009, Listverse was based on a derivative of the open source blogging software Wordpress and open source database MySQL. It ran on four Linux servers housed in Los Angeles, California. In June, 2009, the site moved to the Wordpress VIP system. Most Viewed Lists On July 1st 2009, Jamie Frater post a list titled "Top 10 Most Popular List Ever".(http://listverse.com/2009/07/01/top-10-most-popular-lists-ever/) It documented the ten lists on Listverse that had the most unique views. 10. Top 10 Human Sideshow Freakshttp://listverse.com/2007/08/04/top-10-human-sideshow-freaks/ 232,798 views 9. Top 10 Bizarre Mental Disordershttp://listverse.com/2007/10/13/top-10-bizarre-mental-disorders/ 245,123 views 8. Top 20 Best Gangster Movieshttp://listverse.com/2007/09/18/top-20-best-gangster-movies/ 249,128 views 7. Top 10 Amazing Facts About Dreamshttp://listverse.com/2007/11/14/top-10-amazing-facts-about-dreams/ 259,766 views 6. Top 10 Most Evil Womenhttp://listverse.com/2007/09/09/top-10-most-evil-women/ 260,251 views 5. Top 10 Unsolved Mysterieshttp://listverse.com/2007/07/20/top-10-unsolved-mysteries/ 287,330 views 4. Top 15 Amazing Coincidenceshttp://listverse.com/2007/11/12/top-15-amazing-coincidences/ 301,438 views 3. Top 15 Manipulated Photographs http://listverse.com/2007/10/19/top-15-manipulated-photographs/ 345,094 views 2. Top 10 Incredible Recordingshttp://listverse.com/2007/07/15/top-10-incredible-recordings/ 423,182 views 1. 10 Fascinating Last Pictures Takenhttp://listverse.com/2008/11/13/10-fascinating-last-pictures-taken/ 447,773 views *Top 10 Common Methods Of Suicidehttp://frater.com/suicidelist.html 463,999 views This list wasn't included as it had been removed from the site. Controversies Suicide List Controversy One of the primary advertisers, ValueClick Media, ceased advertising with the site in 2009 due to complaints from an advertiser regarding a list (Top 10 Methods of SuicideArchive of Top 10 Methods of Suicide on the Wayback Machine) on the site. The list described the most common methods (and consequences when things go wrong) of committing suicide. It also included helpline numbers for people contemplating suicide in the United Kingdom and United States. Despite Listverse removing the list, ValueClick did not renew their contract. Charity Controversy In 2007, following the appearance of listverse on the BBC television program "Click"BBC episode of "Click" featuring Listverse.com, UK group "Mothers Against Murder And Aggression " started a campaign against the site for including a list "11 Tips for Outrunning The Cops"11 Tips For Outrunning The Cops - on listverse.com. The organization said: "We live in a society with too much crime and too much killing and anything that glamourises crime is not good but something that leads people into believing they could commit crime then get away with it is incredibly dangerous. ... The list could even give children a push towards crime and so it should be taken down."Statement of MAMAA as reported by the Media The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists In 2008, Listverse was contracted by Ulysses Press to produce a book based on the website's most popular lists. The book, "The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists"The Ultimate Book of Top 10 Lists - on amazon.com, is available online and in retail stores. References External links *Official Website (RSS) Category:Comedy websites Category:Community websites Category:Virtual communities Category:Internet properties established in 2007